Soul Song
by Taka and Keichirou
Summary: +complete+ Six characters, six different memories...Sakuragi-inspired fic
1. Default Chapter

Soul Song

By Sukunami Taka

A/N Taka: oke, oke, I've finally succumbed…this is my first Sakuragi fic, but I can't stand it being just on Sakuragi, so everyone else's in it too….

Taka stalks off, muttering 'baga duago' all the while…..

A sly Keichirou jumps in, waving a Tensai Hana banner, "Yeah, Hana-kun!" In the background, Taka murderously glances back and snarls, "Stop waving that stupid thing, Kei! And don't look so happy! Baga……"

Snickering, Kei sits cross-legged and beamed…..

Prologue

Emotions crashed through the tensed figure standing rigid in the middle of the gym. Tears welled up and he cried out hoarsely as his choked voice caught in his throat , "Urusai! Urusai! Yah mah te ro!!!" Clutching his head in anguish, he rushed out the door….

"Sakuragi!" cried out Kogure Kiminobu, his brow furrowed worriedly, as the rest stared after the small vanishing figure of the distressed red-head, in astonishment. Mitsui Hisashi wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, "Oi, dai jour bu desu ka no? What's the matter with him?" Shrugging, Miyagi Ryota replied, still looking in the direction of where Sakuragi ran of to, " Wa ka naie yo…..che….." "Doa'ho…." Mummured the usual distant Rukawa Kaede. The team resumed their game, while the loyal Sakuragi's Army prepared to follow him but was halted by Yohei Mito, who shooked his head sadly, " Iya…leave him alone."

That evening, under dark rumbling skies and unyielding rain, six solitary forms made their way home, and though their thoughts were hundreds of miles apart, they carried the same heartfelt emptiness………


	2. chapter one: Mitsui

Chapter one: Mitsui

_That stupid Sakuragi…why did he have to run off like that? Made the big Gorilla nearly trained us to death….kutso!! My knee hurts….._

I leaned my arms against the railing of the bridge, overlooking the quiet street below……_if I had never left, I guess I could have become captain….huh….now Gori's the one taking us to the nationals. Eh….itae….I'm still not used to all the strain…it's payback for those two years….._

Flashback~ " Anzai……sensei……basketball…….I want to play basketball!…"~

_Why had I left? I wanted to play so much…basketball was, still is, my life….._

The wind blew, wrapping around the forlorn Mitsui. Something brushed against his cheek…._hmm, sakura des?…….otousan……_

Flashback~ " Urusai! Ta me da ro, Hisashi!" a furious man with hair streaked with grey, slammed his hand hard on the table. An equally resentful 15-year-old Mitsui barked back, " Nande? Nandeyo,otousan! I want to play! The nationals……"

The burning heat on his cheek told the mark of where his father hit him…all he could hear was, " Mitsui Hisashi, the club won't accept a player with an amputated leg. This is the second time you are injured. If I catch you with a basketball again, you don't have to return to this house! Wa ka naie?!"~

I bowed my head. _I still remembered that day well. After the fight with otousan, I left but did not go back to basketball…it was the start of a long two years, the time when I blamed otousan for everything. I hated him, never talked to him, was always out every night…I took joy in letting him know that he was responsible for what I had become….._

Then I found back what had been missing….Anzai sensei….and basketball……but otousan…..he is now in the hospital. During my stubbornness, I never realized that otousan had been sick for some time. Okasan tries to look after otousan, but after he was hospitalized, she had to work..

Flashback~ " Hisa-ke, you will come home early?" asked a weary middle-aged woman. Mitsui shrugged and turned to leave… "Hisa-ke…otousama is in the hospital.." Mitsui's head snapped up….. " I depend on you to be home early, onegai…otousama may need me…"the woman continued…..~

My fingers opened to let the sakura blossom return to the wind…. _Wa ka taie mash ta…._

A blossom encased in ice,

Will it be frozen in time


	3. Chapter two: Miyagi

Chapter two: Miyagi

_Iya….lost my money again….che…._

I kicked the wall,just to hit at something. As I rounded the corner, something caught my eye..

__

Swings….I sat in one, pushing off, the old swing creaking in protest…._Aya-chan…. The most wonderful girl I've ever met. I first saw her when I was getting over a break-up-my 21st-by going on the swings. Her smile, her eyes, her hair….she stole my heart…..then she crumbled it by rejecting me…_

I vowed that I would gain her love somehow….shohoku basketball club…my mission of love has to come by being an ace point-guard. Everyday I could see her, holding her favorite fan, cheering us on…ahh…

A sakura blossom fell by Miyagi's feet…

__

Brr, it's cold…I pulled my jacket closer…._what's that_……

Flashback~ a young girl, with large eyes and coal-black hair falling past her shoulders, looked up and smiled. A blushing Miyagi, his voice unbroken, stutters, " Suzumi-chan…."~

_Suzumi-chan…….I thought I had forgotten…my first true love…she was everything to me…we were never apart….until…_

Flashback~ " Komenaihsai! Hontorni, Ryo-chan, komen…." In tears, she runs off, as a devastated Miyagi sinks to the ground, "Suzumi!" he howled, collapsing in grief…..~

I stopped swinging and sighed…_a year later, someone told me she had moved away…she was gone_….a mild scent of flowers blew gently by Miyagi……..

_Ahhhhh, Aya-chan…my heart beats again….for her…._

Flashes of Miyagi hanging around Ayako,Miyagi with puppy-dog eyes, Ayako with her fan, Ayako cheering for Shohoku, Miyagi fighting, Miyagi with the team, Ayako angry, Ayako smiling, Miyagi versus Fujima, Miyagi punching Sakuragi, Miyagi being patted by Akagi, Miyagi high-fiving Mitsui, Ayako whacking the club members, raced through my head….

_Joining the club wasn't such a bad idea….at least it's one love that won't reject me…._

Flashback~ the girl stepped back, "Iya, Miyagi Ryota…I heard that you are in love with that girl in the second form….you can forget about it…" she walks off…..~

_That's that…Aya-chan…._

As the wind carries it,

A thousand more years will pass


	4. Chapter three: Yohei

Chapter three: Yohei

_Gee, the cherry trees are coming into bloom_…I stopped to watch the tiny pink petals swirling in the wind…._kirrei_…

Flashback~ "Narniya 'nesan?" wailed a small boy, being tugged by a teenager. She laughed and sprinkled a few petals on his head, "Ikko, Mito nisan…the sakura flowers are coming…"~

_'Nesan loved to watch the sakura blooming…the family would go to the park every spring and in the evening, to the festival…._

I continued walking….._it's been awhile since we did that…arre….is that…Sakuragi?_ A dispirited figure disappeared down the road…

__

Sakuragi Hanamichi…his name reminds me of 'nesan…..she was called Sakura too…

_When I was a kid, she would hold me gently and sing me to sleep….'nesan's voice was….like this wind….soothing…..she had the softest brown hair and I remember that she always had a sweet smell……like baby's breath…….and a warm hug….._

I shook my head…._it was a long time ago_…

Flashback~ "Ta ka da, I have made up my mind…sayonara…" Yohei trembled, keeping back tears, "'Nesan, yi ada…'nesan.." She smiled….~

_Shoka….when she left, I was angry…..I kept begging her…….'nesan, nande? All she did was smile..then no more….._

I miss her…..that must be why I get cranky in Spring……still…….it's always so beautiful….just like 'nesan…….it feels like she's here when the flowers bloom but then I feel the pain of when she left………I thought she didn't like me anymore……

A small petal flew past, off into the wind. I started after it, then noticed that I was next to a payphone……_should I?_ I hesitated, then lifted the receiver………. " Moshi, moshi? 'Nesan? Wa tashi wa……."

Along with a thousand more memories,

A leaf falls


	5. Chapter four: Rukawa

Chapter four: Rukawa

_Doa'ho_…..I pulled my shirt off and hung it up, before going to the balcony. Breathing in deeply, my eyes closed, feeling the whispering wind against my body……

_I feel lost for some reason….don't know why_….I laughed inwardly.._just listen to me….baga doa'ho…_

Flashback~ second half of the game, Kainan leading Shohoku…five minutes more….substitute called in….Rukawa collapses on the bench….~

_Te me_…..

Flashback~ Rukawa lunges up with Akagi…Sendoh flashes a smile…he drew back the ball and reaches in between the two Shohoku players….~

_Huh_….

Flashback~ "Amerika? I don't approve…." Said Anzai sensei solemnly. Narni!?!~

_Am I still weak…not good enough_….

A small sakura blossom fluttered by, falling to the street….

_Yi a da des……I beat Sendoh……….matched up to Akagi captain and Mitsui senpai……..kept Maki blocked…….thrashed that doa'ho……_

Doa'ho……Sakuragi……was he crying……..I saw tears……

Something stirred………I cursed….._doa'ho…….he looks good when he's vulnerable……..te me……_

Inside, I dunked my head into a sink full of water……_narni so re wa? Doa'ho……….doa'ho…………doa'ho………_

Lifting my head, my image stared back at me from the mirror……my hair dripped wet……as I took deep breaths, a familiar glint came from the ice-blue eyes…..

_Sornna_…….. 

Unseen, unheard,

Will it be forgotten


	6. Chapter five: Kogure

Chapter five: Kogure

I sighed and took off my glasses to wipe them……_what a day…..I wonder what happened with Sakuragi……_

Sho…it's a nice night……I opened the window…

_Sakuragi….he's like a hurricane….and with Miyagi…..it's like playing with two fires at once….Mitsui-kun…he should be doing well now that he's back….Akagi-senpai has never been happier….and Rukawa…well, no one really knows what he's thinking….._

It's a great team this year….we can really go to the nationals….Akagi…..though he doesn't say it…he's proud…three years of dreaming is finally coming true…..

Flashback~ "Ano….senpai….I want to join the basketball club…" stammered a young Kogure politely. A hulking dark-faced youth turned and replied, " I am a freshman…"

"Akagi senpai…I don't ever want to stop playing basketball…" sniffed a tearful Kogure..

"Mitsui? MVP Mitsui, you have come to Shohoku?!?"

" My aim is to become the number one in the nationals!"

Kogure glanced at Akagi and smiled shyly, "Just like you, senpai…"~

_I was afraid that it was going to be my….no, our….last year…..we had some great years together…I was afraid of leaving…before seeing the nationals with Akagi senpai…_

We've come so far…but there've been times when……

As the wind blew across Kogure's diary, a sakura petal flew in, landing on one of the pages...

Flashback~ "Kogure!" In a panic, Kogure lunges out to catch the ball…..five seconds to go….his fingers slipped….iya…the ball rebounded off the shiny floor….a whistle blew……they had lost……~

_Our last game of junior high…we were finished in the first round….my fault…..I could have……sigh.._

I closed the window…_it's the past after all…_

Flashback~ Kogure caught the ball…..Akagi's eyes widened, "Kogure, you're free!" Kogure jumped….the ball smoothly left his hands…three point shot…..~

Shohoku's basketball club vice captain smiled sweetly…._hai…it's a great year…_

Till a voice within darkness cries out,

And the wind responds


	7. Chapter six: Sakuragi

Chapter six: Sakuragi

Weeping tears fell, dark drops upon the ground…hunched over, I wrapped my arms around me tightly….against the cold, against the desolation….

Irreparable pain tore into my soul….bit by bit…..

__

It hurts…..nande…nande…no one can hear me….no one will listen…..

It hurts….

My teeth gritted together, trying to stifle the pain clutching my heart, but to no avail….my cheeks are wet, my breath gasping as the wind ruffled through my red hair…

_It wasn't so long ago…..talking to oyaji…..joking with Yohei…..girl-watching with the guys….seeing kawaiee Haru….Haru……Haruko-chan…_

Now……

It hurts….sobs broke through the tough red-headed bad-boy exterior…

__

No more…never again…how will I survive….my life is over….

How could this have happened…..sadness coursed through…

Flashback~ an adorable 3 year old Sakuragi looked up guiltily and muttered in a small voice, "Ko….komen…." In his hands, layed the tattered pieces of a small doll. A tearful girl, her lower lip quivering, gave a sudden sob, then ran away, " KIRRAI! Kirrai, Hanamichi!" The small Sakuragi lowered his head once more…~

__

Go away! I don't want to see…..nande..

AHHHHHHH! I shook my head angrily……_why must you keep tormenting me!?! Go away…….._

Flashback~ A scruffy-looking youth cheerfully opened the door, "Ta daie ma!" he called out….he stopped in his tracks…an elderly man was sprawled on the floor. Sakuragi's hands twitched, as his brown eyes widened in horror, "Oyaji…oi, oyaji….."~

_Iya….onegai…..iya_….more tears splashed on the ground….. _yah mah tae…onegai_….. I slumped forward on my knees…

Flashback~ A blushing young girl timidly turned back, " Komen, Sakuragi-kun, demo, I like Oda-kun from the basketball club." The crushed Sakuragi sprang back in shock as his 50th crush was……crushed…..~

_So….or_…..

Flashback~ "Gori!" The ball flew determinedly into the hands of….a Kainan member…..the faces of Shohoku's starting members stared back at Sakuragi in disbelief…….~

_I Y A ! ! !_

I threw myself upon the ground, cries wracking my body…

As the darkness closed in, a crouched figure was left alone amidst steady unblossomed cherry trees…..alone with his tears and bleak thoughts…

Bringing together,

Smiles and tears

Epilogue 

A blossom encased in ice,

Will it be frozen in time,

As the wind carries it,

A thousand more years will pass,

Along with a thousand more memories,

A leaf falls,

Unseen, unheard,

Will it be forgotten,

Till a voice within darkness cries out,

And the wind responds,

Bring together,

Smiles and tears,

A blossom will fall,

Yet remembered.

Taka: Shoka, ano…this is how Soul Song turned out…weird, neh?

Kei: Che……it makes no sense at all…my Sakuragi fics are better.. *giggles evilly* 

Taka: NARNI? HIDEI! Anatawa…hontorni….

Kei skillfully skips out of the disgruntled Taka's way, while waving a small Tensai Hana flag gleefully *hehe*

Taka responds by picking up a basketball to throw at the chortling Kei, but was tapped on the back by a certain raven-haired kitsune look-alike with half sleepy eyes. Rukawa looked at the sheepish Taka with half-opened eyes, " Practice…ball….now…"

Taka falls over in a daze…as Kei happily waves his flag from the stands, while looking at Sakuragi….. 


End file.
